Metastatic Breast Cancer
Valerie David’s Story
Valerie David is known to many as The Pink Hulk.
A four-time cancer survivor over 27 years, Valerie has turned her story into a one-woman show about finding the superhero within. Earlier this year, after surgery for what doctors believed was a benign brain tumor, pathology revealed that metastatic breast cancer had been growing on the tumor.
For a while, Valerie says she lost The Pink Hulk.
But after her most recent scans came back clear, something shifted.
“The girl got her mojo back,” Valerie says.
Read MoreSiobhan Donovan’s Story
Siobhan Donovan is returning to the Runway stage with her children by her side.
When Siobhan was first diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, her children were so young that much of the cancer world was outside their understanding. Now, as they get older, Siobhan wants them to experience the parts of this community that have brought her support, joy, and connection.
“It’s not all bad,” Siobhan says. “It’s not all bad, and you’re not in it alone.”
As she approaches five years since her diagnosis, Siobhan is holding many emotions at once: gratitude, joy, fear, heaviness, and hope. Through it all, Runway has helped her feel seen as someone who is still living her life while living with cancer.
“Runway just makes you feel seen,” she says.
Read MoreDeborah Williams’s Story
Living with metastatic breast cancer, Deborah has had to navigate the mental exhaustion that comes with knowing treatment may never fully end.
Someone once told her something that has stayed with her:
“It takes more energy to worry about dying than it does to live.”
Deborah carries that with her.
“Spend your time living day to day instead of spending your time worrying about if you’re going to die,” she says.
This October, Deborah returns to the Runway stage ready to dance, celebrate, and spend her energy living.
Read MoreLeah Chareonchump’s Story
Leah Chareonchump was diagnosed with breast cancer just two weeks after her 31st birthday.
She found the lump herself, but because she was young, her concerns were dismissed more than once. Still, she knew something was wrong.
“I was right,” she says, “which I didn’t want to be right.”
Years later, when worsening hip pain was also dismissed, Leah had to advocate for herself again. That persistence led to the discovery that her cancer had returned as innumerable bone metastases.
Leah’s story is a powerful reminder that young people know their bodies, too. Age should never be a reason for someone’s pain, fear, or intuition to be brushed aside.
Read MoreKaren Walsh’s Story
“The reason I sought you guys out was for community,” Karen says. “Community for my boys, for families.”
Now returning for Runway’s 20th anniversary, Karen is grateful to be part of a space where stories are allowed to change, where hard things can be named, and where no one has to feel alone in what they are carrying.
Read MoreEmily Knight’s Story
Emily Knight was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2022, just before her 40th birthday.
Now living with metastatic breast cancer, Emily continues treatment indefinitely and is currently doing well, with clear scans since radiation and treatment to the affected area.
Through it all, Emily has found that community matters most.
“The community is the most important thing,” Emily says.
Read MoreMarnie Sheeran’s Story
Through Runway, Marnie has found something that helps her reach back toward joy: connection. She has learned that healing can happen in a community.
“What Runway has given me is support — and exciting things to look forward to.”
Read MoreSarah Hickey’s Story
Sarah Hickey dreams of being there for her daughter’s wedding.
For a long time, she imagined that certain future milestones such as this would define the fullness of her life.
But she is also learning to see that fullness in the present: dropping her daughter off at kindergarten, tucking her in at night, and sharing the small, ordinary moments that now feel anything but ordinary.
“I’m measuring the success of my life in those little moments,” Sarah says.
She still wants the big moments. But she no longer believes they are the only proof of a life well lived.
Read MoreArlene Garcia’s Story
As Arlene continues living with metastatic breast cancer, there have been many changes: progression in her brain tumors, liver, and bones, difficult side effects, double vision, and the uncertainty of hoping a new treatment will work.
Still, Arlene is holding tightly to hope — especially through her children.
“I am hoping to see them thrive and grow,” Arlene says.
Read MoreLynne Cao’s Story
For Lynne, stepping onto the Runway stage is not about being a dancer or feeling perfectly comfortable in the spotlight. It is about courage, connection, and the love that surrounds her when she joins the Runway community.
“Imagine the warmest embrace that you can possibly imagine, the tightest hug,” she says. “That’s kind of how I would equate Runway for Recovery.”
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